


A Way to His Heart

by sharpiesgal (TigerLily)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 22:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5433074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerLily/pseuds/sharpiesgal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint owns a bookstore and Phil is one of his regular customers. They have become good friends, but Clint would like more. So with a little help from his friends he works up the courage to ask Phil out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Way to His Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Flora (florahart)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/florahart/gifts).



Clint quietly made his way downstairs to open his bookstore for the day with Lucky on his heels. He sat his coffee cup on the counter next to the register and made his way to the front door not surprised to see his best customer standing outside cooling his heels.

He smiled as he unlocked and opened the door. “Morning, Phil,” he greeted the older man. “Did you have a good trip?”

“Morning, Clint,” Phil greeted in kind. He then bent down and scratched Lucky behind the ears. “It was productive.”

Clint chuckled as he stepped back and let Phil enter the store. He loved how Phil phrased things.

“I amuse you?” Phil inquired as he settled into his favorite chair in the little reading nook Clint had added months before to keep his favorite customers returning since the bookstore was in a rough and tumble neighborhood.

“Yes, you do,” Clint admitted with a wry grin. “Coffee will be ready in a few minutes.”

“That sounds great,” Phil said with a grin of his own. He loved coming to Clint’s bookstore because it was a great place for him to kick back and relax. His friendship with Clint was an easy going one. “You wouldn’t happen to have any of Tony’s donuts, would you?”

“I have to run down and get some,” Clint replied as he filled Lucky’s food and water bowls for the day. “I didn’t think you would be in today.”

“I finished early,” Phil said with a casual shrug. “This makes the boss happy.”

“And you happy as well,” Clint remarked. He made his way over to the coffee maker and reached for the carafe just as the coffee finished brewing. He fixed a cup for Phil and topped his off while Lucky roamed through the store making certain that all was well with his territory.

“Thanks,” Phil said as he accepted his coffee from Clint. He took a sip and sighed before setting it aside. “I’m happy to be home and off for the next few days.”

“Lucky you,” Clint said. “You must have really made the boss’ day.”

“You could say that,” Phil replied thinking that bringing in one of the top ten evil scientists on SHIELD’s radar was just another day at the office, and not something that would make Nick Fury’s day.

“If you don’t mind helping Lucky keep an eye on the place, I’ll go slip down to Tony’s and get you some of those little, white powder donuts you love so much.”

“I think we can manage,” Phil said just as Lucky settled down on the rug near Phil’s feet.

“Cool,” Clint said with a grin. He grabbed his coat off the coat rack that stood near the front door and slipped it on. “Anything else you want?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Okay,” Clint answered. “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

Phil nodded and watched Clint walk out of the store.

*&*&*

“Morning Bruce,” Clint said as he sauntered into Tony’s bakery. “How’s things?”

“Things are going well,” Bruce answered. “You want your usual?”

“Yeah,” Clint answered as he browsed the cases for something new and unusual. Tony had been an inventor in his previous life and this shaped his baking style.

“Is Phil back in town?” Bruce asked once he finished boxing up Clint’s usual order.

“How did you guess?”

“Because you’re looking at Tony’s latest creations and wondering if Phil would be interested in trying something different,” Bruce answered with an all-knowing smile.

“That transparent, am I?” Clint quipped with a wry smile.

“As glass, Barton,” Tony contributed as he brought out a fresh tray of confections. He placed it in the case and gave Clint an encouraging look. “See anything you want to buy to woo your guy?”

Both Clint and Bruce groaned.

“I’ll admit that was not my best pun, but it got the point across,” Tony said with a cheeky grin.

“And that would be?” Clint asked curious as to what Tony’s answer would be.

“You got the hots for the government drone.”

Clint shook his head in bemusement. “Why do you put up with him again?” he asked Bruce.

“For the entertainment value,” Bruce lightly quipped causing Clint to chuckle.

“Cute,” Tony retorted. “So are you going to get Phil something or not?”

“What do you recommend?”

With a wicked smile Tony picked something out he knew Phil would really enjoy and boxed it up for Clint.

*&*&*

Clint returned to the bookstore not surprised to see that Phil had left his favorite chair to help a customer. He smiled when he saw that it was Wanda Maximoff. She was one of his frequent flyers always coming in for books on her must read before the end of the semester list.

“I’m back and I brought goodies with me,” he told them as he headed over to the small table that the coffee maker sat on. 

“Wonderful,” Wanda said as she dropped off a stack of books near the register and joined Clint at the table. “I had to skip breakfast this morning because I overslept.”

“You need to stop taking classes so early in the day,” Clint gently teased as he handed her a donut and a cup of coffee.

“I need instructors that are night owls and not early birds,” Wanda retorted as she accept the donut and coffee with a smile.

“Well, maybe next semester,” Phil contributed as he joined them holding his empty coffee mug. He had always been an early riser, so he never truly understood the attraction to staying up until the crack of dawn and then sleeping all day.

“Maybe,” Wanda agreed and then walked off to the reading nook to enjoy her treat.

“She’s a hopeful one,” Phil quipped and handed Clint his mug.

“She’s a pragmatist,” Clint said as he refilled Phil’s mug.

“Kinda like Natasha.”

“Very much so,” Clint concurred as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Natasha was a mutual friend and responsible for introducing Phil to Clint and his bookstore in the first place.

“And you?”

“And me what?”

“Are you a pragmatist or a hopeful romantic?”

“What makes you ask that?” Clint inquired suddenly feeling like a bug under a microscope. He didn’t like that feeling.

“I noticed that one of the goodies you brought back from Tony’s is one my personal favorites,” Phil answered.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How interesting.”

“Indeed,” Phil agreed. “So is this your way of asking me out?”

“A little too obvious, but yes,” Clint admitted with a shy grin.

“Then yes, I’ll go out with you,” Phil said with a shy smile of his own.

Fin or is it?


End file.
